Stars in the Southern Sky
by AmazingGraceless
Summary: The year is 61 ABY. The galaxy is at war once again- but not with remnants of Palpatine's empire. A new faction is gaining power, the Lunar Empire, named for its queen. The rise of the Lunar Empire is deeply connected to a tragedy in Ben and Rey Solo's family, and will bring the entire galaxy to its knees. Not unless Vanya Solo has anything to say about it.
1. Prologue

**06.17.61 ABY | Aquilae II— Aquilae System— Imperial Space**

It was supposed to be an ordinary day. It had started innocently enough— no ominous red sky or summer storms that continued into the morning. Rather, it was beautiful. Vanya still liked to sit with her older brother, Jacen, and watch the sun rise over the horizon, dispelling the summer storm clouds and painting them wondrous colors, while spilling all that light into the water, that seemed so crystal clear in those opening moments of daylight.

Most of the time they talked— about philosophy, usually. The philosophies of using the Force, and being a good Jedi. Maybe they would talk about politics, what they would do if either of their parents chose them to continue their legacies. But politics was more of Nellith's realm of influence, anyway.

Well, it was.

That morning, Jacen was silent, and Vanya couldn't find it within her to disturb the peace. She felt it too and would have known what he was thinking about without the Force.

Nellith.

She'd always been different. Determined to give her all of the information up front, Ben and Rey told their children about every part of the Skywalker heritage, good and bad, without censoring any of it.

Anakin, Luke, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Padmé Amidala— all of their names felt like weight being added to Vanya's shoulders. She already had enough to live up to with her mother as the Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order, and her father as the Emperor of Imperial Space. Those names and their legends were all reminders of what she had to be.

Everyone said that she would be a great Jedi— with a stronger connection to it than either of her siblings, and maybe even her parents. While Jacen struggled to make his model X-wings levitate in his bedroom, Vanya could easily send everything into the air without much thought at all.

But no one said she would be a good Jedi, Vanya noticed. There was difference between goodness and greatness— and she knew that the others saw it. With that connection to the Force— that meant the light side and the dark side.

She could follow in the path of her mother.

Or she could outdo the likes of her father or Darth Vader.

Jacen struggled with it all, too, Vanya knew that from their talks. It didn't help that he fundamentally disagreed with Rey about the nature of the Force. While she saw it as a living, spiritual concept, Jacen was adamant that it was merely a tool, a science. Not magic or some power greater than what could be seen or observed.

Vanya wasn't sure what she believed. But she knew it drove her mother a little mad, that Jacen's point of view was so clinical. Maybe she feared that it would lead to Jacen abusing his powers. But Jacen wasn't the one that they needed to worry about.

Nellith never recoiled from her ancestry. Instead, she listened with wide eyes, and carried herself with certain expectations. She knew she would be the stuff of legends someday, and never shied away from comparisons. She studied politics on purpose, so that she would be like Leia, like Padmé. Like their father.

Until she was seventeen, this wasn't a problem. Then she had begun to undergo her Jedi Trials to become an official Knight of the Order. What happened during one of them, no one knew— but Nellith didn't come back right. She became more distant, more argumentative. She shielded herself from their parents, and even her Jedi Master.

That is, until Ben discovered the truth. It had all come to a head the previous day. Vanya shivered to remember it.

She'd been in the Meditative Gardens when it happened, beneath the mysterious and unreadable waves of Aquilae's surface water. A feat of brilliant engineering, the energy field allowed for the Jedi and Padwans to interact with creatures that drifted into a transparent chamber with air, and observe the balance of ocean life. Violence and peace, life and death. The gravity was also adjusted to be similar to if they were actually under the water, which was thought to have a calming effect.

It wasn't for Vanya, that day.

Her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty as she let her dark hair drift all around her and watched the sparkling fish drift by. It wasn't helping that she could hear Jysella, Kaylee, and the other girls in the Praxeum that were her age.

"Who do you think you'll be getting for a master?" Tash Arranda asked Jysella. "I mean, your parents are pretty important, so I imagine they'll have their pick."

"I'm hoping for Master Djo," Jysella said as she drew her knees up to her chest. "I know she doesn't visit as often anymore, since she had to become the Queen Mother of Hapes, but I heard a rumor that Master Rey is apprenticing someone to her this year."

"I doubt that," Kaylee scoffed. "Although I guess it would have to be a girl, wouldn't it? Since the Padwan would have to live in Hapes most of the time— if they wanted to complete their training, that is."

"Bet it's Solo," Alema Rarr whispered conspiratorially— although of course, Vanya could hear her. "It'd be just like them, to get a special instructor for their youngest."

"I doubt that," Kaylee said, and Vanya could feel Kaylee's eyes on her, from all the way across the Meditative Gardens. "Remember, Nellith and Jacen were taught by their parents. Master Ben will probably teach Vanya, like he taught Nellith. I don't think they'd want her to go as far as Hapes."

Vanya frowned, and tried to focus on shielding it. She couldn't help it— that was the problem. Her senses were extended so far out, she couldn't help but hear, she couldn't help but see, or feel it all. If only the others knew how that felt. . .

"Is that a leviathan?" Valin Horn scrambled through one of the coral paths, pulling out his datapad from a satchel hanging off of his shoulder. He pointed at a reptilian shape in the distance, stark white in the shadowy waters. "I thought they were a rumor!"

"What are they?" Vanya asked as she sat up a little straighter and squinted.

"They were genetically engineered by the Empire, back in those days," Valin explained as he fumbled with his stylus in his jacket. "Some pet project of the Emperor's. For some reason, they didn't use them for anything. Some say they never existed, or went extinct— I never knew the First Order had some!"

He sketched the outlines, looking back to the creature with great excitement. The leviathan started to swim towards them, red eyes locking onto Valin.

"Um, Valin, it's coming towards us," Vanya said, thinking of warnings from when she was a little girl, never to swim without permission because of creatures like the leviathan.

"I know, I called it," he said. "Don't worry, animals like me."

"It's not you I'm worried about," Vanya grumbled. "I'm more of a machine person."

"Jacen would kill me if let his little sister get hurt," Valin said. His hazel eyes softened. "Besides, I'd probably cry."

Vanya rolled her eyes. "Because you'd have to change your name and leave Imperial Space immediately."

"Yeah, but I'd miss you," Valin said, glancing back at the approaching leviathan. He put his datapad back down and reached out past the shield, right as he could touch the leviathan's long snout. He grinned. "Yeah, you're a good girl, aren't you?"

He looked back to Vanya. "Pet her, she won't hurt you."

Vanya arched an eyebrow.

"Do you trust me?" There was a twinkle in his eyes.

"I shouldn't." Nonetheless, she reached out and patted the leathery white snout of the leviathan. She could sense the joy of the creature, who was in fact a she, and preferred being pet. Still, she was the first to retract her hand.

Valin gave her one last pet, and sent her off. He was grinning like a madman, with excitement that was more tiring than energizing to Vanya. It was dampened almost immediately.

"Sorry, I forget how sensitive you are to that stuff," Valin said. "Bet you can't wait for someone who can help you work on your mental shields."

"Yeah," Vanya said absently, looking to the fish again.

"What's wrong?"

"What?" She avoided looking at him— mostly because she was afraid it would cause him to look into her mind, not that it took much effort.

"I can tell you're upset, even without feeling all the emotions you're throwing around everywhere," Valin said. "Come on, you can tell me anything. I won't tell Jacen, if it helps."

Vanya shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just not sure I'm ready to be a Jedi."

Valin snorted. Then he sobered. "Sorry. I— I just can't believe that. Everyone's always known that you were the real light of the Jedi Order. Some say that Jacen's going to be the Grandmaster, and Nellith will be the Empress— but everyone knows you're going to do something really great."

"That's the problem," Vanya said, finally meeting his eyes. "Everyone knows. They all expect me to be some chosen one or savior. But I don't feel like one. I'm just. . . I'm me. And I'm scared. Yeah, a master will teach me how to tap into my powers— but does the galaxy need that?"

Valin frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"My dad used to be on the dark side," Vanya said. "Mum was tempted by it. Her mum worked for the Emperor as his Hand. My great-grandfather was Darth Vader. What if I turn out the same way? What if I'm—"

Valin placed a hand on Vanya's shoulder, and she spluttered to a stop. She felt her pulse quicken, traitorous butterflies in her stomach and skin. It wasn't fair— he didn't know that she'd had a crush on him for years.

"And that's why the galaxy needs you to have your powers," Valin said. "Nellith's got a good head on her shoulders, that's for sure— but you and Jacen have good hearts. Dad told me once that _that_ is what makes a good Jedi. I don't believe you'd go dark for a second. The fact that you think about it— that means that you won't."

"Thank you," Vanya mumbled, surprised at how much those butterflies flapped in her stomach.

"You'll be a great Jedi," Valin said. "It'll be great to run missions alongside you someday."

"You, too," Vanya stammered.

Valin grinned, as if he could sense what Vanya was trying to shield. "You know, if you ever need help with lightsaber techniques— I can help anytime."

"I might have to take you up on that," Vanya agreed, feeling warm and bold in a pleasant way. Like she was flying.

Valin smiled, and tilted his. Head ever so slightly. "Did you do something new to your hair?"

"I was looking at Alderaanian archives," Vanya admitted, tucking a braided strand behind her ear. She could feel the blush. "Do you like it?"

Before he could respond, they heard the shout.

"No, we are going to talk about this here, right now!"

Vanya and Valin exchanged glances, and she went for the pistol she hid in her trousers, and he of course went for his lightsaber, as her sister stormed into the clearing, Ben Solo chasing after.

Others around Nellith's age were gathering, unbridled darkness and aggression radiating from their hearts. Vanya recoiled at the feeling. Where had all that come from?

"Leave me alone, Dad!" Nellith screamed as she whirled around, having no place to go. "Look! You're making a scene!"

"Neither of us is leaving until we've talked," Ben said, folding his arms over his chest. "How long has Snoke been talking to you?"

"Who?"

Even Vanya knew that innocent look on her face was feigned. But _Snoke_? In her mind, the creature that haunted her father's mind was a storybook villain, one from a long time ago, more myth than man— or whatever species the former Supreme Leader was supposed to be.

"Maybe he calls himself Leader, or a friend," Ben said, his voice more vulnerable. "I've seen him in your mind. I remember what it was like— I want to help you, Nellith. Whatever he's promised you— he won't deliver. He just takes until you've got nothing left. If he's threatened you, or your friends, or your brother and sister— we'll protect you, I promise. Just let me in. Let your father in."

"You think I'm just some pawn in all of this?" Vanya gasped as Nellith's eyes turned Sith yellow. "I sought him out, during my trials, when I heard him call to me. Better, faster, stronger— he promised all of that, to start, and he delivered. It's not like the Jedi, where it's all about making yourself weak for the sake of lesser mortals!"

Ben frowned. "I never knew that you felt that way, Nellith. I want to help you. Whatever you need, we can give you— but Snoke can't stay. He won't help you."

"It's too late," she said, a terrible grin spreading across her features. "I've already bled a crystal, Father."

She then pulled the lightsaber off of the narrow belt around her dress. Slender and silver, it was ladylike and strong— just like Nellith. Then she ignited the blade. Red as blood, as their great-grandmother's gowns, the blade shimmered in the air as proof of everything.

"No," Ben whispered. "No. Nellith, please. There's still time, you can still turn back—"

"You know what, Father?" Nellith's voice was a whisper, but coy, like she knew something was about to happen. "I don't think I can. And I'm not the only one who disagrees with your methods."

One by one, the group surrounding the two of them lit their lightsabers, and every single one of them was red.

"I suggest you let us leave," Nellith started. "Or we will burn everything you tried to build down." She glanced at Vanya and Valin. "Starting with them."

"Then leave." Ben's command was immediate, leaving room for regret.

Nellith nodded, and she and her friends all deactivated their sabers. "I think we will. I believe you made the right decision today, Father."

With that, she and her group turned and left the Meditative Gardens.

What they were going to do now, no one knew. Rey had been in and out of council meetings, as had Ben whenever he was not required to be in his office.

It was supposed to be a happy day. The assigning of masters was even postponed indefinitely because of the new crisis. Vanya could feel anger, confusion, betrayal, and sorrow— was any of it hers? She wasn't sure anymore.

She sat in her room after dinner, unable to handle to feelings of others anymore. It was too much.

She'd hoped for a peaceful night, a little more calm before whatever storm that Nellith was planning.

But that wasn't ever going to be.

* * *

At first, the flashes of lightning and roars of thunder disguised the blaster bolts raining outside with the summer night storms. But the smell of smoke could not be ignored. In a panic, Vanya shot up out of bed, grabbing the pistol under her pillow and the backpack under her bed that they'd created for situations like these. She stumbled outside, barefoot, into the main living room of the Royal Apartment.

The power had been cut— instead of the industrial white lights Vanya was familiar with, there were only pulsing red ones on the walls that illuminated the room.

"Get the kids to safety," Ben ordered. "I've got a squadron in the air, and the other Jedi are fighting them— I've got to evacuate the younglings."

"I'll be back," Rey promised. "As soon as I get them to—"

"Don't tell me," Ben said. "Nellith might try and take it out of my mind—"

"Right," Rey said, deflating a little. "I guess I'll have to come back— won't I?"

Ben just smiled sadly, although in the darkness, it was hard for Vanya to tell. She looked to Jacen.

"What's going on?" She whispered.

"Nellith came back," Jacen said simply.

That was all that either of them needed to know.

Rey embraced Ben, touching her forehead to his, although she had to stand on the tips of her toes to do it. It was intimate and vulnerable, in a way that made Vanya hope to someday have that sort of bond with another person.

"Good luck," Rey said. She then broke away, and turned to Jacen and Vanya. "We're taking the _Falcon_. Chewie's come to pick us up."

With that, she then hit a panel on the wall of the apartment, and there opened a secret passageway.

Ben smiled ruefully. "I knew that installing those was a good idea."

Rey smiled back, silently admitting that he was right, before stepping inside to lead her children to safety.

Vanya was the last one in, and saw her father last. She had never seen such sorrow on his face before, in the slump of his great shoulders. They would have to make this right. She closed the panel behind her, and followed her mother and brother into the bowels of the Floating Palace.

A quick journey led them into one of the hallways, where servants and Imperial Officers were running about, narrowly avoiding each other in the near-darkness.

"Come on," Rey said, and they headed towards the lift. Rey opened it, her double-bladed blue lightsaber acting as a deterrent for any who might harm them. Luckily, no one was in the lift, so Rey ushered them in, closing the doors behind them.

"I've been in contact with an old friend, she'll take you in," Rey promised. "She'll make sure you're well cared for until this all blows over."

She sounded optimistic as always. Like they were simply taking a brief holiday to somewhere nice, like Deyer or Scarif. Like they weren't fleeing for their lives. Vanya knew her mother's plucky facade well— and it was a comfort, honestly.

If Rey could act like it was just a holiday, Vanya could pretend that it was.

When the lift doors were opened, a rush of cold air flooded the chamber. Vanya could feel so much anger, hatred, fear. She reached her hands to her head in a futile attempt to block it all out.

"Oh no," Rey muttered when she saw Vanya. She stepped out, igniting her saber.

"It's going to be okay," Jacen assured Vanya. "It'll be alright."

But when they stepped out, Rey motioned for them to sit, and peeked around the wall corner before looking back to her children. She muttered a few words that Vanya wasn't supposed to use.

"She's here, isn't she?" Vanya asked in a very small voice.

"Yes." Rey looked tired, and older than Ben in that moment. "She's here."

She then grimaced, and tears rolled down her cheeks. "Dammit! This is isn't fair."

"Mum, what are you talking about?" Jacen asked.

"I need you to get Vanya into the hangar, I'll distract your sister," Rey said. She reached into the satchel attached to her belt, handsewn and still standing from her years in the desert. "Take this, it's a star map— you'll need it for where you're going. And you'll need this."

Jacen accepted the first object as Rey pressed a bracelet made of what appeared to be shards of a kyber crystal into Vanya's hands.

"My friend will recognize that, and she'll know that you really are who you say you are," Rey promised. She then handed Vanya a familiarly-shaped lightsaber.

Her heart skipped a beat at the sight. She knew the black striping, the very handle— it was as familiar to her as her own parents. It represented everything that had gotten her into this mess— the Skywalker family lightsaber.

"You're going need one of these in this fight," Rey explained. She then looked back to Jacen. "I'm so sorry. I wish I didn't have to leave you."

She then got to her feet, and gestured the same for Vanya and Jacen. "When I go, you _run_."

Vanya blinked back at her. Was this really happening? Was this just some twisted dream?

But before she could do anything, Rey stepped out, lightsaber ready. "Nellith!"

At that, Jacen grabbed Vanya by the wrist and pulled her towards the door across from them, that led into the upper level of the hangar. She couldn't help but glance at what her sister had become. Deathly beautiful, wearing perfect jewelry and a stunning black dress as she carried identical scarlet sabers. She stalked towards Rey, with a cold indifference towards the woman who was once her mother.

Vanya stumbled into the hangar. The door was open, allowing TIE-fighters to soar out, and the _Milennium Falcon_ to enter. She saw the walkway that connected the Floating Palace to the Praxeum. Jedi Masters escorted younglings in, fighting against Nellith's followers— and people in Alderaanian uniforms. The Praxeum itself was burning, a sorry plume against the stormy skies and tumultuous waves.

Vanya could feel the panic and pain of the dying, the anger of her enemy, as if it were all her own— it was too much—

"Here."

She was brought back into the world by her brother as he handed her the star-map. "I need to help Mum— and Ves. She's still here. You get to the _Falcon_ , you hear me?"

Vanya shook her head as her fingers closed around the star-map. "I'm not leaving you."

"You have to," Jacen said. "There isn't time— GO!"

He pushed her, his command reverberating in the Force as he ran back into the corridor, shutting the doors behind him. Vanya pressed at the control panel desperately. But he'd locked her in there, dooming who knew who else in the process.

Without anyone else there to ground her, her steps grew less confident, and she stumbled, tripping down the stairs. Everything was too bright, too loud, too much—

She fell onto the ground, down a flight, and cried out. Her own pain, her own fear and anger— it was too much!

She dug her hands into her hair, desperate to make it stop, turn off everything—

Vanya screamed, and it all went silent.

She sobbed as she realized it was gone. The Force, the field she could sense her whole life, the network of all living things— it was gone.

She forced herself to her feet. She had to get to the _Falcon_. Despite what she was sure was a sprained ankle, she sprinted across the hangar, managing to reach the ship just as the exit ramp opened. She scrambled up, to see Chewbacca, who she hugged.

"They're not coming," she whispered into his soft fur. "They stayed behind to fight her. It's just me."

Chewbacca let out a few moans of sympathy before heading back to the cockpit. Vanya knew she would have to join them, since it was a job for two pilots. The liftoff procedure was a second nature, her fingers gliding over the controls as she took the captain's seat— the one that once belonged to Han Solo himself.

"Alright, let's do this," Vanya said, forcing herself to sound cheerful. She took off in a sharp curve through the air, soaring past the TIE-fighters, and dodging the New Alderaanian fighters that filled the air, shooting at Jedi and First Order personnel alike.

Chewbacca growled into the headset.

"Three on our tail?" Vanya frowned. "Don't worry, we'll lose them."

Without hesitation, she dived back down towards the water. It reminded her of the stupid games she'd played with her siblings in lagoons— who would back out first?

As she knitted her eyebrows together in concentration, she couldn't help but smile a little. She'd always won those games.

Indeed, right as she was about to hit the water, the starfighters pulled away, and she sharply pulled up, soaring through the clouds with pure kinetic energy. Her radar pinged, warning her of the larger ship that was only in the orbit.

"Well, kriff," Vanya muttered. When Chewbacca let out a series of low grumbles, she rolled her eyes. "I think we have more to worry about than my language."

She then exited the atmosphere, into orbit, where a large starship was waiting. It was essentially a floating hangar, with a shape similar to that of a Star Destroyer.

Vanya careened the _Falcon_ to the side, keeping close to the metal shell, so that the anti-aircraft cannons couldn't get at her without harming the mothership.

"Artoo!" She called out. "I'm about to upload a star map. Find the coordinates and get us prepped for a hyperspace jump, as soon as you can!"

Artoo beeped an affirmative as she pulled the star-map out of her pocket, and put it in the console of the _Falcon_. As she did her little dance in the stars, she couldn't help but see the route in front of her. While she didn't get a good look, she knew exactly where it led.

"Artoo, are we ready?"

He beeped the affirmative again, and the coordinates appeared on the hyperdrive. Vanya pulled away from the mothership, and threw the switch, right before they could get shot. The stars streaked blue to the sides, and Vanya's head fell back against the headrest that was older than her parents.

Heart pounding from the exertion, she let out a sigh of relief. A numbness spread over her as it slowly came, with the knowledge of what she'd lost. Did her mother survive? Did Ben? Did Jacen? What about her friends, like Kaylee? Valin's face popped into her mind.

And then there was the matter of her powers. Even now, in the calm, she wasn't feeling everything again. She tried to reach out with her mind— but she couldn't. The Force had left her, when she finally screamed in the hangar.

That was what made her sob. She'd lost a part of herself to Nellith and her destruction. Would she ever be able to get it back?

As Chewbacca got up, he patted her shoulder.

"Just give me a moment," she found herself saying— it didn't sound like her own voice. "I just need a moment."

Chewbacca nodded, and headed to the kitchens.

Vanya managed to see the coordinates again through her tears. Rey wanted her and Jacen to go to Alqualonde, in the Hapes Consortium. She'd visited the Reef Fortress there a few times when they'd visited a family friend: Tenel Ka Djo, the Queen Mother of Hapes, formerly known as Kara Ren.

Vanya let herself feel relief one last time before her sorrow overtook her and she grieved for what her sister stole.


	2. The Princess Leia

**12\. 11. 61 ABY | Edge of Republic Space**

Nix Tico never tired of staring into the star-speckled black of the universe. He remembered falling in love with the stars the night that his parents had taken him to an observatory, when he was five years old. His younger sister, Aya, was there and was cranky, as three-year-olds tended to be.

But he remembered his father, the great Resistance hero, putting him up on his shoulders so he could interact with the holograms within the great dome. He clapped his hands around the light, expecting to capture stars. But he never did.

He supposed that flying in them was the next best thing.

"Stargazing again, Tico?"

He turned his head to see Danni Da Dameron approach from the door with a keycard next to it and a sign proclaiming it a restricted area. She crossed her arms, more to keep herself warm than anything else, Nix speculated.

"I like seeing what new constellations we can find in the galaxy," Nix said. "It's not the same in the observatories on Chandrila."

"It isn't, is it?" Danni smiled.

The two of them stood together in silence for a moment, before Nix pierced the silence.

"I heard that the whole reason for this mission is whatever you're working on in the science wing," Nix said. "Not to patrol the border between New Republic and First Order space."

"Not First Order," Danni said. "Have you heard what the Empress is calling it now?"

"I don't remember," Nix admitted.

"The Lunar Empire, now," Danni said. "She named it after herself. Or, well, her Sith name."

"It's just hard to switch the names," Nix said. "I remember back when most cadets begged for this station starting out, because it meant you had to stay in the Floating Palace while superior officers did all the regulatory work of checking in with the Jedi and the Emperor."

"Yes, things were different when Ben Solo was in charge, weren't they?" Danni looked back. "Although, to her credit, she hasn't attacked New Republic Space."

"Is that why we aren't helping the Jedi?" Nix asked. That question became one of frustration for him over the past year. "Because she isn't attacking us?"

"We've given the refugees a place to stay on Chandrila and other Core Worlds," Danni said, a firmness in her voice. "We can't just go against the First Order without being provoked. If we maintain the terms of the Treaty of Batuu, we could keep the galaxy out of yet another war."

"I guess so." Nix couldn't help his defensive tone. "Still, I wish we could help them more. The Jedi were our friends."

Danni smiled sympathetically. "Believe me, if Dad had more sway on Mom's politics, we would be going to war for Rey's sake. But they're still scattered, and we don't have the technology yet to go against them."

Nix loved the way her eyes lit up when she said 'yet.'

He glanced back at the door. "Is that what you're working on, behind that door?"

Danni glanced up at the ceiling and subtly pointed at a holocamera. "Classified, Tico."

"Oh, right." He blushed at his own stupidity, and ran his hand through his lush curly hair. It was somehow a mix between the textures of his parents'. "What brought you out here, to this corridor?"

"I thought I'd speak with my favorite stargazing pilot," Danni said. "I found your schedule in the network, and saw that you had this hour free."

"Really?" He was never happier that his blush didn't show itself as well on his dark skin. He was grinning like an idiot.

"Yeah, sometimes I just need a break from listening to everyone complain about what went wrong, and instead just think about something else," Danni said. "Sometimes it helps me solve the problems a little better."

She glanced at the camera and leaned in to Nix, whispering directly into his ear. "We're really close to a breakthrough, and I was hoping I could get some good luck from a chat with you."

"I'm happy to serve my duty to the New Republic."

She seemed slightly unsatisfied by this answer, but still smiled, looking just like her mother, Chancellor Kaydel Ko Connix. She glanced back at the stars. "What'll you be doing, once your first tour is over?"

"I'll try to go on assignment again soon," Nix said. "Somewhere nice, like Deyer or Naboo."

"There are a lot of beaches and pretty girls on Naboo," Danni said.

"Yeah, but I would miss you." It seemed like she was fishing for that answer. "Where are you going, after this?"

"I've already been requested to go to Naboo there's an engineering convention that will be happening after the mission wraps up, and the New Republic will want for me to explain what we've been working on, since it will be de-classified by then," Danni said. "I'd love it if you could get stationed there. I feel bad that you and all of the other soldiers here have no idea what we're working on— especially when you're acting as our escort."

"In war, we've all got to play our part, for the rest of the galaxy to get out safely," Nix said.

"But we aren't at war yet," Danni reminded him softly.

"It's easy to forget when you're on a warship, for classified projects and patrolling what became enemy space," Nix said.

"I guess so," Danni mumbled. She glanced at the chrono on her wrist. "I'd better get back there. Is there any way I could get a kind of good luck token?"

Nix's heart pounded as Danni blushed.

"Like a kiss?"

He felt breathless at her request— in a good way. Like she had just given him all of the air he needed.

"I think I can manage that." He leaned in for a kiss, but she turned her head at the last minute, so it was a kiss on the cheek. Before he could ask, she pointed at the viewport. He turned to see several Alderaanian starfighters and TIE fighters coming straight for the ship. Blaster bolts rained from the guns of the starfighters, and the _Princess Leia_ rocked.

In all the confusion, Nix didn't remember how he'd gotten on the ground, until Danni offered a hand to him. Without hesitation, he accepted it, and she pulled him into the forbidden door. Sirens wailed, the emergency red lights flashing in Nix's peripheral vision as the scientists ran around, trying to collect data and results.

Danni pulled out her datapad, furiously typing in commands. Nix grabbed onto a table as the _Princess Leia_ continued to pitch as it was bombarded from various sides. He was extraneous— or so he thought.

When he finally had regained his balance, Nix looked up to see Danni and a blue-skinned woman with iridescent pearl-colored hair. He recognized the feathery hairstyle, and nodded his head as formally as he could, when trying to keep his balance.

"Dr. Xux," he said, referring to the head military scientist aboard the ship.

"Tico's son, eh?" Dr. Xux looked to Danni. "At least we know we can trust him."

"What's going on?"

"Just got a message from the bridge," Dr. Xux explained. "They took out the gunners and the pods, and they're now heading toward the hangar bays."

"It's an invasion," Danni elaborated, taking care not to drop a fragile-looking disc in her hands. "They know what we've been working on— and the First Order cannot have that information. Not as they are now."

"It would prevent any chance for us to avenge the Jedi, or Rey's children," Dr. Xux added. "And I think I speak for most of the New Republic when I say we'd like for that not to happen."

"We need to get out of here," Danni said.

"How can I help?" Nix asked.

"You're my escort," Danni explained. "Dr. Xux thinks two heads are better than one, and you can help me steal a ship from those bastards and get us through the Transitory Mists."

Geography was never Nix's greatest strength— hence why he was not a pilot in the New Republic military. Even with how he loved the stars, he wasn't particularly great at navigating them. But he'd forgotten about how close the Hapes Cluster was.

"We've never gone to them before," Nix said. "They just closed their borders the night it all happened."

"The outlying planet of Asterias will take you," Dr. Xux promised. The _Princess Leia_ finally went still, and everyone was silent, despite the alarm still screaming. "And you need to leave, now. Get down to the hangar, get a ship that can take both of you. Make sure our story reaches the New Republic, and that the First Order doesn't get our research."

"They won't," Nix promised. He glanced up, seeing the schematics in his mind. "I need a barricade. We're not leaving through the doors."

* * *

"Of course it's the vents," Danni groaned. "Why is it always the vents?"

"Shh," Nix hissed. "We're getting close to the hangar. We don't want them to hear us!"

"Like they can hear anything over the sirens." He could practically hear her eyes roll.

He rolled his eyes back, before looking down through the slits. The new and improved chrome TIE-fighters were inside of the hangar, the stormtrooper-armored soldiers disembarking. But they were not the smiling helmets like the ones Nix's father had once worn. They had new scarlet markings in the shape that had become a cornerstone of post-Death Star Alderaanian culture— the crescent of an exploding planet.

Nix pulled out his multi-tool out of his pocket, and started on the bolts. Danni instantly reached out, grabbing the slats so that it wouldn't fall out of place until they were ready.

"We wait till they've left," he said. "Till they make their way to the bridge."

"That leaves their TIEs exposed—"

"—and we can jump in, I have one of those harnesses on my uniform—"

"—that's right, you do, for maintenance—"

"—and we can get down to safety—"

"—and escape to Asterias!" Danni's eyes shined with excitement, like they did in the lab most of the time. "You're brilliant, Nix! I should kiss you!"

"Maybe let's save it till this is all over," Nix said, ignoring the rising heat in his cheeks. He looked down. They were almost out— the troopers, that is, although it would all most certainly lead to them being out, too.

"All right, they're gone," Danni said. She then dropped the grate with great force. Nix pocketed his multi-tool and handed her the end of the rope that came from a hidden compartment in his flightsuit. He then dropped down to the ground, landing solidly on his feet as Danni stuck the rope around a pipe.

She then started the drop down, Nix keeping a tight grip on the line, until he heard the sound of a stormtrooper's footsteps. In a lightning-fast gesture, he whirled out his standard-issue pistol, and fired— straight for the head.

Down the buckethead went.

Nix felt a surge of guilt— his father had been a stormtrooper, once. Even if the stormtroopers now willingly followed Darth Lunala, weren't they still the same?

He didn't have time to think on that guilt for long, however, and heard a scream. He turned to see that he'd let go of the rope in his confusion, and Danni was plummeting.

There was no time for hesitations, for facades.

He reached a hand out, willing the molecules of air surrounding Danni to condense, to catch her. For the very nature of time to stop and bend to his will.

She was frozen, hovering about halfway from the floor to the ceiling shaft.

Before Nix could explain, there were more footsteps. Danni cried out a moment before Nix caught her again, straining to keep time itself and gravity at bay. He looked back to the open doors. There was a man in a silver and black uniform— merging the aesthetics of Alderaan and the First Order.

He felt an inexplicable drop in the temperature, as if he'd been dropped in an ice bath.

"So there is a Jedi on board," the man drawled. "My lady will be interested in this."

"Not a Jedi," Nix spat through gritted teeth as he tried to also throw up a shield between his mind and that of the definitely-Sith stranger. "Your lady stole my chance at joining the order."

The man laughed, a warm and rich sound at deep contrast to his unsettling aura, which tried to probe deeper into Nix's mind.

 _Focus, Tico._

He slowly lowered his hand, Danni drifting down with it at a microscopically-slow rate.

"I don't believe that for a second," the man said, his eyes an unnatural shade of blue as they locked onto Danni. "I believe the Jedi do still exist in the heart of the Republic, one last secret weapon."

"I wouldn't know," Nix confessed.

"Perhaps the lady you are escorting may have the answers I seek," the man said. "She is, after all, the Chancellor's daughter."

"Don't touch her!" His grip on the Force shattered with the emotion, and he pushed it outward, a psychic explosion with ripples into the physical, pushing the man out, briefly breaking into his mind just long enough to steal his name— Mical Janus, an apprentice of Darth Lunala.

One of many.

One who had a lightsaber.

One who Nix couldn't win against— not yet.

He darted over to Danni, helping her up before running for a TIE fighter.

Mical Janus merely strode over, not bothering with running, not yet. Why waste sweat on two insects he could crush beneath his boots?

To toy with them, like a tooka cat— that was more interesting. More pleasing to the young Sith.

Nix used the Force to open the hatch to the TIE, and ushered Danni in first, before dropping in and sealing the hatch.

"Can you fly this?" he asked as he took the second of the two seats— the gunner's seat.

"Of course," Danni scoffed. "My father's Poe Kriffing Dameron— he can fly anything!"

With that, she hit the thrust with more than was strictly necessary, nearly flattening Mical Janus, zooming out into the stars.

Nix felt dread in his stomach, like the time he fell nine feet during a game of dares with the other cadets that were training on Chandrila. Mical Janus raised a commlink to his lips, and like that, Nix knew that this wouldn't be over.

He knew just as well as Janus did that the man was toying with him.

"Careful, this is going to have a kick to it!"

Before Nix could ask Danni what, the small TIE went into hyperspace just long enough to end up a few meters from Asterias's atmosphere.

"We're coming in too hot!" Nix complained.

"That's the point," Danni explained. "We're going to get near some water, and we're going to eject!"

"That's a terrible idea," Nix cried.

"No, it covers our tracks," Danni said. "Get ready!"

Nix braced himself, waiting until the large lake of Asterias was in sight. Then he hit the big red button he never was supposed to hit.

"See you on the other side!" Danni yelled as Nix soared out, his parachute activated immediately. As he drifted on the air, he wondered where exactly on the planet he would end up. And if the answers they sought would lay in Hapes, the only neutral party in all of this.


	3. Chume'da

**12\. 11. 61 ABY | Madrassa V— Madrassa System— Hapes Cluster**

Sunset, Vanya decided, was the most introspective time of day. She couldn't help it, not really. It was after nightfall when she lost her home— when she lost everything. The coming of it, it seemed, still gave her pause for introspection.

Six standard months had passed, and she was still unable to reach out into the Force, unable to feel any kind of connection with it. It wasn't for lack of trying. Whenever she was alone— which was admittedly rare— she tried to make random objects in her quarters float, or just tried to feel anything.

Nothing worked.

The Force wasn't listening.

She toyed with the kyber crystal bracelet around her wrist. Made from what was once her father's crossguard, it was an undeniable link to Ben Solo. Tenel Ka didn't even bother to obscure that much.

If only she'd been permitted to live on Hapes proper, then maybe her exile, from the Force and from her kingdom, would have been more bearable. Because Tenel Ka used to be— and secretly still was— a Jedi. She would understand the Force and Vanya's struggle.

But the Queen Mother had a facade to present, and wanted to keep her new heir safe. Thus, she couldn't visit Madrassa often, and holos could be sliced into and—

"Your Grace?"

Vanya exhaled a frustrated sigh as the sun disappeared behind the Pandemos Mountains. She bit her lip, schooling her features. She could no longer be Vanya Solo.

"Allana, our tutor requests that you come inside— she says that it is urgent."

Right. She was no longer Vanya Solo— she was Allana Djo. Her father was the same— but she was not Rey's daughter, she was the hidden heir to Tenel Ka.

When she turned to face Thea, she had a pleasant and yet emotionless expression on her face. She couldn't quite master haughty and proud like Thea and her handmaidens had.

How could she? What was there to be proud of?

She still managed a small, polite and closed-lip smile as she strode inside, where the other handmaidens were waiting.

It was decided, on that fateful day when Vanya first arrived at Hapes and began her transformation, that they would follow the Nubian tradition. Vanya would have handmaidens and decoys, and they would train in seclusion.

The Hapan styles allowed for the five of them— Vanya included in that number— to be easily swapped out with one another. Vanya was certain she wore heavier makeup than the others. Even without it, they resembled her mother so strongly, they could be clones.

As a child, Vanya knew that she had received more of her father's harsher features than was considered acceptable for a girl.

It hadn't bothered her at the Jedi Academy, where the true beauty of a person came from how they fit into the Force.

But in Hapan Space, where beauty was all that mattered, and Vanya could no longer perceive what truly mattered?

Vanya tucked a stray curl behind her ear, ignoring the diamond-sharp eyes of the handmaiden in charge of her hair, Maia. Instead, her own Skywalker-blue eyes caught the holo-disc in Madam Leilani's hand that she was trying to hide with the cascading sleeves of her intricately-embroidered golden robes.

Sometimes the Force could be compensated for, in the case of a sharp pair of eyes and a tendency to observe everything.

 _Mum would always say that I was like Dad, that way._

Vanya frowned at her past tense thoughts towards her mother. Rey wasn't gone. She was just out there, in the galaxy— looking for her surely—

She forced herself to return her attention to being Allana, to Madam Leilani.

"Your Grace, I regret having to interrupt your personal hour," Madam Leilani began, her expression unusually grave. "However, we have received word from the Queen Mother herself."

In a flourish traditional of street charlatans and master thieves, Madam Leilani presented the holo-disc to Vanya. As soon as she took the smooth disc into her hands, the hologram appeared.

Tenel Ka Djo had only grown prettier, Vanya decided, in the past six months. Her hair was piled atop her head in scarlet braids, weaving a crown made of stars onto her head like vines, claiming the throne for her own. Her manner of dress had become more placid than in her younger days. A simple synth-silk turquoise gown— well, simple by Hapan standards, anyway— paired with a matching sheer shawl that distracted the eye from her missing arm— was her dress, and she was controversially lacking in jewelry.

It was all in contrast to her elaborate golden belt, which Vanya knew had her rancor-tooth-hilt lightsaber hidden on it at all times— hiding in plain sight.

Her gray eyes were grim.

"Allana Chume'da, I must request your return to Hapes," Tenel Ka said. "On Asterias, the Hapan servicewomen found two New Republic soldiers requesting the aid of Hapes in conflict against the Lunar Empire."

Vanya willed her skin not to pale beneath the rosy blush. None of her handmaids, not even clever, observant Thea, knew about her true origins. She wasn't about to have them start figuring it out.

"I understand," Vanya said, turning off the holo. She looked up at Madam Leilani. "I presume I have at least an hour to pack my things?"

"Your handmaidens are to do that for you," Madam Leilani said, a firmness to her tone.

"Of course," Vanya said. "I merely wish to have more of an influence in my wardrobe. It is important for She Who Will Come After to have a distinct style of her own, is it not?"

Madam Leilani made a non-commital noise before agreeing. "Of course, Your Grace. It is nice to see such initiative in your presence."

Vanya merely nodded— no use acknowledging the little jab and dagger about her true hatred for presence.

It was funny to think how she had been a princess in a life before. But she was more style here, and substance in the First Order, even when her role as the third daughter made her relatively useless to the line of succession on Aquilae.

Vanya pushed the introspection about Aquilae, about her place in the family back. It edged too close to her sister, to Nellith.

Allana didn't have a sister. Allana never lived on Aquilae.

Vanya was supposed to be dead, Allana Djo living on.

But for all that she tried to kill Vanya, she kept surviving.

* * *

The Chume'da Suite in the Aurelia Palace was supposed to be modest and minimalistic, by Hapan standards.

Of course, that meant that there was some restraint in the furniture not being made of solid gold, and instead a wood only grown on Madrassa V, and the large space that was for contemplation and reflection.

But it was still filled with more luxurious materials than Vanya was used to, even as a princess on Aquilae.

Well, princess wasn't the right term, Vanya remembered as the handmaidens filed in behind her. She was a Grand Duchess, but that was quite beside the point. Because her grandmother was a princess, Vanya had insisted as a child that she should be called one as well.

Ben thought it was adorable, how loyal she was to a grandmother she'd never had the chance to meet. Rey never had the heart to correct her, either, unless they were at a formal state affairs function or whatever.

As the handmaidens started their work, Vanya turned to the astromech that usually stayed in her room, despite his sassy pleas to explore.

"Hello, Artoo." Vanya started wiping him down. "For a droid that doesn't go anywhere, you certainly get yourself quite dirty."

Artoo retaliated with a few choice curses in Huttese.

"Language!" Vanya hissed, remembering her mother's linguistic lessons.

Artoo thought it was funny to then switch to Hapan. The four handmaidens turned their heads from their packing basics that didn't require Vanya's input to glare at the swear-happy droid.

"Such a vile tongue," Maia declared. "I would have had him decommissioned for such language."

"He belonged to my father's family," Vanya said.

"Is that _the_ R2-D2?" Inanna, the makeup technician and resident historian asked stopping in her packing of the eyeshadow palettes.

"The one and only." Vanya saw no way out of that one, other than the truth.

Maia frowned. "I thought Rey Solo was the last one to own that droid. Your father's wife."

Vanya ignored the insinuations. They didn't know that Rey was her mother, that their Queen Mother was not.

Even if they knew, the very idea that Ben Solo chose to marry a Jakku scavenger over the most powerful woman in the galaxy was unthinkable, an abomination to the Hapes cluster.

"Artoo was a gift." Vanya left it as vague as possible— less to remember when she shifted into Allana later.

"Allana, we need your help choosing gowns," Thea called.

Vanya stood and joined Thea and Freya by the closet.

An entire rainbow of dresses were available to her. And she knew immediately what colors she wanted.

"The red long-sleeved dress," Vanya said. "Everything else I want green."

If she was honest, purple was her favorite color. But green— green was Rey's favorite.

"We should spice it up, add some variety," Freya said. "May I suggest some of the Naboo-inspired pieces?"

"Add them, then." Vanya gave a casual gesture.

Thea raised her eyebrows. "I thought you wished to be involved with this process. Is everything alright, Your Grace?"

"I wish to make some decisions about my wardrobe and packing in private," Vanya said. "Is that permitted?"

"You are She Who Comes After," Inanna said. "We will do as you wish, you command it."

"Then my command is to leave me in peace for five minutes," Vanya snapped.

She almost regretted it. It wasn't the fault of her handmaidens, that she had to hide her very identity. But there were some secrets that needed to be kept at all costs.

While Maia seemed upset, the others accepted her command and left the room.

Vanya locked the door, and then hit the underside of the desk, where the secret compartment was. She pulled out a handcrafted box, and opened it. Inside was still the star map, the tooka doll on the _Millennium Falcon_ that belonged to her father, and most importantly, the Skywalker lightsaber.

A part of her wanted to touch it, to feel the hum of the sword of light beneath her fingers.

But there wasn't time.

And she wasn't a Jedi.

Not anymore.

Not without the Force.

She closed the box, shutting out the memories, and hid it beneath the dresses. To cover her tracks, she chose a few of the most comfortable gowns, including a beautiful blue one that reminded her of photographs of her grandmother in the Ewok village.

When she let the handmaidens back in, she heard Maia grumble. Freya and Inanna got back on with their work.

But the way Thea looked at her— it made Vanya go into a cold sweat.

She knew something. But how much?


	4. Allana

**12\. 12. 61 ABY | Hapes (Hapes Prime)— Hapes System— Hapes Cluster**

"We must ask that you remain in your suite until the Chume'da and Queen Mother arrive and convene to see you," explained Captain Aelin of the Chume'doro. Chief of security in the Dragon Palace, she was just as pretty as any other Hapan woman, with ebony skin and silvery-white hair in a set of elaborate braids, but with her own piercing gray gaze.

"For how long?" Danni asked, glancing at Nix.

"I really cannot tell, but it should not be too much longer," Captain Aelin promised. "The Queen Mother has asked for us to protect you while you are within her domain. She is already doing much for you— more than you know."

"And we appreciate it," Danni said. "Thank you, Captain Aelin."

"You're welcome, Lady Dameron." Captain Aelin tipped her smart silver cap, and closed the doors behind them.

Nix surveyed the suite. With two bedrooms, a large common area, and a bathroom, it was a gilded prison. It had no balcony, although the windows and its sill were quite wide.

"There aren't any cameras," he said after a moment. He could just _tell._ Part of it was the training from his mother, combined with his father's latent force-sensitivity.

"We can talk freely then?" Danni breathed a sigh of relief, before pacing forward. "I don't want to contact the New Republic just yet. We need to figure out a way to get the data back to them, before the Lunar Empire can get their hands on it."

"Yes, and we might as well try to recruit the Hapans," Nix pointed out.

"We're not at war," Danni reminded him.

"Not yet." Nix thought to the Sith apprentice and the destruction of the _Princess Leia_. "Although as soon as they figure it out—"

"We could still avoid it," Danni tried, folding her arms over her chest. "Does the galaxy need another war?"

"It's because we refused to go to war that I wasn't able to do more against Mical Janus— the man from the hangar," Nix added hastily. "If we'd gone to war, the Jedi Order would be still around, and I would have been trained in the ways of the Force!"

"If we went to war, that would be the fourth war the galaxy has seen in a hundred years," Danni reminded him, her voice infuriatingly cold and firm, like stone. There was a gentle quality about it, like she was trying to kindly tell him the mere facts, the science.

Normally, Nix had a great respect for the science.

But not when it came to what happened to the Jedi.

"I knew Rey," Nix said, his voice still tight. "I know your father never cared for her husband, so you only saw her every once in a while, during public functions. But I knew her. She was my hold-mother, she always came during Life Day with her kids and Ben Solo. She gave me my first flight sim."

"She was special to everyone, Nix," Danni said, an edge rising to her voice. "No one expected or wanted—"

"Not special enough." Nix's voice was bitter as he turned away from Danni. He didn't want to lash out at her— but she was spewing the words of the New Republic— words that he was realizing as the hours passed since the beginning of the war had stolen so much. And not just from him.

"She wasn't enough to fight for," Nix whispered, knowing Danni could hear him. "She fought for them— saved everyone, during the last Great War. And this is what we did for her. Nothing."

Even Danni had nothing to say about that. As the silence crept in, so did a small sliver of remorse. Not for what he felt— his mother always expressed the importance of anger.

It was that he said it to Danni.

"I know your mom is the Chancellor, and it sounds like I'm criticizing her," he said, turning around. "But I'm not. I'm angry at the Senate. At the people, for betraying their hero. I guess I'm just angry that it's all come to this."

Danni stepped closer. "I know— but we're no better than any empire if we don't keep to the will of our people, right or wrong."

It was a point— one that Nix reluctantly agreed had a point of truth to it. They had to be better than what the First Order and the Empire was, and whatever the Lunar Empire had begun.

"But I suppose there is no going back," Danni said. "This war will be fought, and I suppose we should try to convince Tenel Ka Djo that we are worth fighting for."

Nix nodded, and the two of them stood there a moment.

"Hold me?" Danni's dark eyes were inquisitive, peering up at Nix.

He did so, hugging her in the morning sunlight filtering through the glass.

The doors opened, revealing Captain Aelin, and two other members of the Chume'doro. They now wore more ceremonial uniforms, gold and turquoise in coloring, with ceremonial vibroblades strapped to their backs.

Then again, Nix thought as he allowed a member of the Chume'doro to flank him, his father once told him that the Hapans were as functional as they were beautiful.

He looked to Danni— his main ambassador in the matriarchal society of the Hapes cluster.

She took his hand for a moment, and smiled bravely— her eyes betraying the true fear that she felt— as if Nix couldn't sense it, couldn't feel it as if it were his own.

His father was barely Force-sensitive— how did others like Rey, Ben Solo, and her children handle it?

For the first time since it had all come crashing down, Nix felt a pang of sympathy for Nellith Solo. Who was to say that she didn't go mad from her powers?

"We are first going to our salons," Captain Aelin declared. "You are appearing in the Queen Mother's court— it is essential that you look like you deserve such an audience— especially when Allana Djo Chume'da will be in attendance."

 _Allana._

The name sounded familiar, like a clumsy disguise. An elegant one, for sure, but clumsy— like it was to all fall apart at the slightest touch.

"Do we have to?" Nix couldn't help but groan. "We need the help of the Queen Mother now."

The Chume'doro women shot contemptuous glares his way.

"The Queen Mother is helping us," Danni reminded him. Her voice then dropped to a whisper. "Everything on Hapes is about politics and appearances— which a clever woman would argue is the same thing."

Nix replied with a common saying: "Hapans are beautiful, but they can't see in the dark."

* * *

With the makeover completed, Nix did have to admit that he did feel better, to be out of the sweat-soaked flightsuit. The elegant dark blue jacket he was wearing did compliment his skin rather nicely, and the gold accents on the jacket matched the dust swirled on his eyelids and dotted on his lip.

Hapan standards were strange, he decided. Even if they did work.

He stole another glance at Danni. The red gown, all braided and intricate straps, was stunning on her, and her dark blonde hair was in an updo marked with red bejeweled flowers. Her gloves were elbow-length, jewelry draped over it.

For their strangeness, Hapan beauty did work— it had more of an effect on him than he'd previously thought, he decided.

The Chume'doro led them to the Throne Room, where the Dragon Throne itself was housed. Made of jade and gold, it was large and winged, with one smaller and less ornate version to its left.

A scarlet carpet with a golden embroidered story laid upon it led up the stairs straight to the throne.

Members of the Chume'doro, noble families, and various servants were lined against the walls. They waited and chattered with excitement to come.

"All kneel for the Queen Mother, Tenel Ka Djo Chume!" shouted the announcer in her rich, strong voice.

Even when the Jedi had been around, Tenel Ka Djo was somewhat of an enigma, Nix knew. She used to be a Jedi, that was known— rumors said she was even a Knight of Ren alongside Ben Solo. But nothing was confirmed.

All anyone knew was that she came to Hapes to end their civil war after the galaxy ended theirs, assuming her place as her grandmother's heiress.

With her braided red hair and green gown, matched with a pale violet capelet to hide her arm, she was stunning. She didn't look her age— not nearly as old as Ben Solo appeared in the Holos before the Desolation of Aquilae.

She stood, her gray gaze proud and imperial— but with a feral element to it, Nix decided. One could tell that her mother was a Dathomiri witch from her very demeanor. But she was still dangerously Hapan.

"And, accompanied by her handmaidens, Allana Djo Chume'da," the announcer continued.

Chatter turned to frantic whispers. First came the handmaidens, decked in the pink of the flowers that grew on trees on Chandrila. All of them had heavily made-up faces, and were nearly indistinguishable.

Then there was the Princess of Hapes.

Her gown was blue, resembling the style of dress meant to emulate Princess Leia Organa after her victory on Endor. It was much more than that, of course, because this was Hapes.

There were four buns atop the princess's head, along with braided coils that included jewels, flowers, and wove her tiara into her head.

She was a solemn girl, Nix could see that.

But then he got a good luck at those eyes.

Skywalker blue.

The feeling of the wind in the trees seemed to fill the room. But only Nix could feel it. He knew why.

"That's not Allana," he whispered to Danni, so low that no one else could hear, and barely Danni. "That's Vanya Solo."


End file.
